New York state to ban small shampoo bottles at hotels

New York state will be mandating hotels to forgo small bottles containing “hospitality care” products such as shampoo and lotions.

The enforcement comes as a bill was passed in the New York Assembly in hopes of reducing waste.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, hotels with more than 50 rooms will not be able to provide toiletry bottles under 12 ounces, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website.

The act, which was first introduced in 2019, defines “hospitality personal care product” as a “product provided by a hotel and intended to be applied to or used on the human body or any part thereof for cleansing,” the legislation states.

The law says that hotels that break the restriction will first receive a warning with 30 days to “correct the violation.”

If the hotel fails to do so, they will be “liable to the state for a civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars.”

A $500 fine will follow if the hotel is still providing bottles within the next 30 days, according to the legislation.

Some large hotels have already begun making adjustments. 

“We have long been focused on our residential amenities program, switching from small toiletry bottles to larger, pump-topped bottles as part of our commitment to reduce plastic waste,” a Marriott Hotels spokesperson told FOX Business.

The spokesperson added that by the end of 2023, Marriot Hotels achieved “95% compliance for the transition to residential bath amenities for certain brands across managed and franchised hotels globally, with additional properties transitioning through 2024.”

A Hilton spokesperson told FOX Business, “As of 2023, Hilton properties were required to transition to full-size shampoo, conditioner, and soap amenities, eliminating single-use miniature bottles and reducing disposed bars of soap.”

The rollout begins with large hotels, while starting in 2026, all hotels in New York will have to comply.

The act was set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, though hotel industry lobbyists pushed for a delay so hotel staff could use bottles that were left in stock, Fox Television Stations reported.

Last year, a similar law took effect in California to ban tiny toiletry bottles from the state’s hotels.

FOX Business reached out to the New York State Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation for additional comment.